Then New Age of Subliminal Marketing

Then New Age of Subliminal MarketingJuly 1st, 2010

Most savvy viewers are aware of the fact that companies will use television shows and movies to try and market products to the public. This form of marketing known as product placement, for example Denzel Washington’s use of the iPod in the movie The Book of Eli, has been around for decades. Now there is a new form of marketing that is taking shape in the entertainment industry and it is called behavioral placement. The idea behind behavioral placement is that if audiences watch an act enough times it will slowly shape and mold their views.

As a result, of the concept of behavioral placement, TV executives from NBC have started a campaign to help promote green lifestyles. This includes showing characters from NBC television shows, recycling plastic bottles to driving hybrid automobiles. The idea behind it is to subliminally portray the idea of saving the environment to viewers without actually telling them what is going on. In this case, the idea of behavioral placement is not only helping to get across, to viewers, the idea that the environment needs help and everybody needs to do their part, but it is also a great money making opportunity for the NBC network. When NBC launched its “Green” campaign to help save the environment they had 20 different sponsors jumping at them to throw their products into NBC television shows. This helped to produce over $20 million in advertising, so it is not only seen as a great way to spread a positive message, but also as a potential money making opportunity.

Many people wonder why all of this information is thrown at viewers in a very inconspicuous manner. Is this really more effective? According to a study that was published in the Journal of Advertising Research, the less attention that someone actually invests in a specific advertisement, the more effective the ad is. The idea behind this is that the people who are paying extensive attention to new ads are building up barriers in their minds, whereas ads that do not require as much attention to detail, allow the consumer’s mind to wander and subconsciously pick up the information. Since consumers are constantly hit with a barrage of different advertisements, it is only natural for them to build up a defense mechanism against these advertisements and this is where subliminal ads will become effective.

As a result of these new breakthroughs in marketing, consumers and advertisers alike will begin to see a rapid increase in area of subliminal marketing campaigns. The truth about traditional marketing at this point is that it is floundering. Consumers are getting tired of being slammed with advertisements that inundate them with information and are actually beginning build up barriers to screen these ads. Consumers have become so accustomed to blocking out or avoiding traditional marketing techniques that it is almost a complete waste of time and money for companies to even fumble around with these old techniques.